Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, April 8
Don’t drop civics requirement for graduating students because of coronavirus
Who is the governor of Wisconsin?
What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
What is one right guaranteed by the First Amendment?
High school students in Wisconsin need to get at least 65 of 100 similar questions right on the state’s civics test to earn diplomas. (The answers, of course, are Gov. Tony Evers, “fought for civil rights,” and any one of the following: the right to free speech, religion, assembly, press or petition the government.)
The simple exam with multiple-choice questions is basically the same test immigrants must pass to become U.S. citizens. Students can take it as many times as necessary to pass. It helps students understand their rights, appreciate their democracy, and participate in civic life.
But maybe not this year.
The state Department of Public Instruction recently granted local school districts some leeway on graduation requirements because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some flexibility makes sense, given reduced class time as students stay home to avoid infection. Schools across the state have been closed for weeks, with learning moving online.
But one change Wisconsin school districts should avoid is dropping the state civics test. Basic knowledge about our American system of government is profoundly important for young people and the future of our country.
So far, at least 20 of Wisconsin’s more than 400 school districts have expressed interest in a waiver from DPI to skip the test, including Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Lake Geneva, Eau Claire, Stoughton and Platteville. A school district seeking a waiver must explain why it plans to drop the test for this year’s graduating seniors. Reasons the DPI will accept include a lack of access to technology or an inability to administer the test online or in writing.
To its credit, Madison is ramping up online learning this week so all students can connect with teachers from home. So technology shouldn’t be an issue.
With the school year disrupted by COVID-19, the School Board is considering reducing the number of credits for seniors in the class of 2020 to graduate from a district threshold of 22 to the state minimum of 15.
Gov. Tony Evers wasn’t a fan of the civics test back when he led DPI, viewing it as a sign of distrust in schools. We view it as encouragement for districts to make sure basic civics knowledge gets the attention it deserves.
A national survey last year by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that only 2 in 5 adult Americans could name the three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. And barely half knew that Congress needs two-thirds votes to override a presidential veto.
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association encourages civics by sponsoring the Wisconsin Civics Games. High school students answer questions about the state budget, local elections and legislative terms.
The state civics test shouldn’t be discarded, even for one year. Understanding the basic framework of our democracy is more vital than ever during difficult times.
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The Journal Times of Racine, April 12
State should start plan to reopen April 24
Gov. Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order shutting down all but essential business expires April 24. It should not be extended.
Instead, what should happen is that businesses begin to reopen throughout this great state.
What we need is a plan, and the state’s business community asked Evers for just that in a letter sent Thursday by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) and signed by 18 other statewide business associations and 33 local chambers of commerce.
The letter pointed out that nearly 300,000 unemployment claims were filed in March alone, and the state’s unemployment rate is estimated to be over 13% - the highest in recorded history.
Earlier in the day, a projection of 27% unemployment was made by Dennis Winters, chief economist with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
A year ago the state’s unemployment was 2.5%. In the worst of times, during the Great Recession in early 2010, it was a little over 10%. We are shut down - and many Wisconsinites are struggling - because of a hidden virus that has taken over the world. The headlines tell of a skyrocketing death rate in the U.S. and other countries and a need to stay at home and social distance with no end in sight.
While we understand the threat of the coronavirus and the importance of public health, we watch the numbers every day. And in Wisconsin, those numbers should not require a continued lid on the economy. We understand there are at-risk people and that this is highly contagious and symptoms should keep you home. But we can collectively get back to work and those workers and residents can take further care.
It should happen in stages, but what’s needed is a plan.
“Restarting our economy will not happen overnight, and it likely will not be all at once,” said Kurt Bauer, WMC president and CEO. “That is why the business community and Gov. Evers need to work together on a plan that determines what industries and what areas of Wisconsin can open safely, along with a timeline.”
The letter calls on policy makers to recognize that many businesses cannot simply restart operations on short notice. Employers must have time to recall furloughed workers, make new hires, restock supplies and raw materials, and re-engage their supply and distribution chains. It will be a process, and it should start the last week in April. And local government leaders should not extend closures beyond the state. Locally, business leaders expressed serious concerns if the governor’s order is extended.
“Every day past the 24th will take a toll,” said Lou Molitor, president and CEO of the Kenosha County Chamber of Commerce that has more than 700 members. “I’m concerned that a lot of small businesses would be struggling.”
And Matt Montemurro, president and CEO of RAMAC, the Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce, said Racine County could lose some businesses if the order is extended. “A longer closure is going to be devastating,” he said.
Nationally, the view is that the economy should reopen region by region. In our region Wisconsin should take the lead. It’s time for working together, for a plan. Our financial future, and our mental and physical health, depend on it.
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Kenosha News, April 13
County takes lead in informing community of COVID-19
In this time of continued uncertainty, we all need as much information about the coronavirus as we can get.
And that includes a breakdown of testing and cases that help us understand more about this virus and its threat.
Kenosha County has taken a lead in informing the community through its COVID-19 Information Hub, recently unveiled and improved last week with the addition of identifying cases by municipality and age.
This census tracking helps our understanding with timely information at www.kenoshacounty.org/covid-19.
The site also offers links to relevant resources and answers to frequently asked questions, and it regularly updates local, state and national statistics on the health emergency.
“We want to be able to provide the most up-to-date information in one location,” Dr. Jen Freiheit, Kenosha County health officer, said when the site was unveiled. “It will be updated daily.”
Last Tuesday night, as the mapping went live, Freiheit told the County Board “all but three or our census tracks have had positive patients.
“This is all based on testing,” she said. “As you know, not everybody would be able to get a test… It is the best data we have given the testing we’ve had.”
Kenosha County is providing data that we should get regionally, statewide and nationally. And it’s important to know that county officials got the idea in Southeast Wisconsin.
In late March the county formed a Joint information Center. Representatives of law enforcement, public health, emergency services meet virtually every other day, joined at times by county officials.
They share updates and collectively develop messages, and early on they got the idea for a COVID-19 information hub from Racine County. They noticed features like a food locator and polling places and decided to create a similar portal in Kenosha County.
They also noticed census tracking on a Milwaukee site and decided to move in that direction for Kenosha County. Once the county had about 50 cases they would start to show them in mapping.
So the idea, taking the best from our region, contributed to Kenosha County designing a useful and timely site.
There is some manual data entry daily by county staff, but it’s clearly worth the effort as Kenosha County is providing valuable mapping information for residents.
We encourage Racine and other counties to offer it.
The more we know about COVID-19 locally, the better we are as a community. We are all in this together.
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